O B E 
eluded between Malcolm and Canute, upon the final re¬ 
treat of the Danes, thefe large figures may reprefent the 
reconciled monarchs. On the edge below the fretwork are 
fome row's of figures joined hand in hand, which mayalfo 
implythe new degree of confidence and lecurity which took 
place after the feuds were compofed, which are charac- 
terifed on the front of the pillar. But to whatever parti¬ 
cular tranfaflion it may allude, it can hardly he imagined, 
that, in fo early an age of the arts in Scotland as it mult 
have been railed, fo elaborate a performance would have 
been undertaken but in confequence of an event of the 
molt general importance ; it is therefore furpriling, that 
no diltincler traditions of it arrived at the era when letters 
were known. The height of this monument above the 
ground is 23 feet; betides 12 or 15 feet under ground. 
Its breadth is 3 feet 10 inches by 1 foot 3 inches in thick- 
nefs.” 
OB'ELISK, f. A mark of cenfure in the margin of a 
book, in the form of a dagger [f ].—He published the 
tranflation of the Septuagint, having compared it with 
the Hebrew, and noted by afterilks what was defe< 5 live, 
and by nbeli/ki what redundant. Grew. 
O'BENBURG, a town of Auftria : fix miles eaft-north- 
eall of Sleyregg. 
To OBEQ'UITATE, v. n. [ obequito , Lat.] To ride 
about. Not in vfe. 
OBEQUITA'TION, f. The act of riding about. This 
word occurs in the old vocabulary of Cockerara, though 
Dr. Johnfon has given it without reference to any ufage 
of it. I'm Id. 
O'BER, a river which rifes from a lake on the borders 
of Poland and Silefia, and runs into the Oder four miles 
fouth of Zullichan. 
O'BERB ACH, a town of the duchy of Wurzburg: ten 
miles north-weft of Kilfingen. 
0 'BER.BERG, a bailiwic of Swiflerland, belonging to 
the abbey of St. Gall. 
OBERBERCK'HEIM, a town of France, in the depart¬ 
ment of the Upper Rhine: four miles fouth-weft of Schlett- 
llatt, and feven north of Colmar. 
O'BERDORF, a town of Bavaria : ten miles north-eaft 
of Kempten, and thirty-two fouth of Auglburg. 
O'BEREHNHEIM, a town of France, in the depart¬ 
ment of the Lower Rhine : twelve miles fouth-weft of 
Stralburg, and twelve north of Schlettftatt. 
O'BERG, a bailiwic of Swiflerland, in the canton of 
Apenzell. On the 16th of March, 1817, the tower of the 
church was ftruck by lightning, which totally deftroyed 
the w'hole of the edifice. 
OBERGES'TLEN, a town of Swiflerland, in the Valais : 
forty-eight miles eaft of Sion. 
OBERH AS'BERGEN, a town of France, in the de¬ 
partment of the Lower Rhine : three miles north-weft of 
Stralburg, and twelve fouth of Haguenau. 
O'BERHAUSZ, a citadel of Bavaria, on the left bank 
of the Danube, oppofite Paflau. 
OBERIN'GELHEIM, late a town of France, in the 
now diflevered department of Mont Tonnerre ; contain¬ 
ing 1658 inhabitants. 
O'BERKIRCH, a town of the grand-duchy of Baden : 
twelve miles eaft of Stralburg, and forty-four weft of Stut- 
gard. Lat. 48.. 33. N. Ion. 8. 10. E. 
O'BERKIRCHEN, a town of Germany, in the county 
of Schauenbnrg : five miles eaft of Rinteln. 
OBERKOT'ZAU, a town of Germany, in the princi¬ 
pality of Bayreuth : thirteen miles fouth of Hof. 
O'BERLAND, a province of Pruflia. This country is 
fertile, rich, and well cultivated ; and was formerly called 
Hocherland. Before the knights of the Teutonic order 
invaded Pruflia, Hockerland was fo populous, that it could 
bring into the field an army of 10,000 effedlive men, con¬ 
fining of horfe and foot. But, the Hockerlanders having 
on feveral occafions exercifed great cruelties towards the 
Chriftians, the Teutonic knights, in the year 1273, at- 
Vol. XVII. No. 1183. 
O B E 361 
tacked the country, laid it wafte, and made themfelvcs 
mailers of it. 
O'BERLAND, a trail of land in the duchy of Cour- 
land, lituated between the town of Seelburg and Li¬ 
thuania. 
O'BERLIN (Jeremy-James), a meritorious promoter of 
literature, was born in 1735 at Stralburg, where his father 
was mailer of the public fchool. He received his early 
education in that feminary, and in his fifteenth year was 
entered a lludent of the univerfity of his native city, hav¬ 
ing previoufly palled fome time at Montbelliard, in order 
to acquire a familiar ufe of the French language. He 
purfued with ardour all the branches of lludy taught in 
the univerfity; and from the ledlures of the celebrated 
Schoepflm imbibed a particular attachment to archeology. 
Having taken the degree of M. A. he afliduoufly attended 
the theological fchools, but rather with a philological than 
adodlrinal purpole. When Dr. Kennicott was procuring 
collations of the Hebrew text of the Bible from all parts 
of Europe, Oberlin undertook the talk of collating four 
manuferipts in the”Stralburg library, of which he after¬ 
wards publilhed a defeription. In 1755 he was made ad- 
jundl to his father in the fchool; and fifteen years after 
was his fucceflbr. In 1763 he obtained the delirable poll 
of keeper of the univerfity-library, and the parmiflion of 
opening a courfe of ledlures on Latin llyle, for which he 
was well qualified, by his habits of writing and fpeaking 
that language with facility and purity. He became an¬ 
nexed to the profeflbrial body in 1770, as adjundl to M. 
Loranz in the chair of Latin eloquence ; and, having un¬ 
dertaken courfes of ledlures on antiquities, ancient geo¬ 
graphy, diplomatics, and other lubjedls, he drew up, for 
the ule of his pupils, elementary manuals in a tabular 
form, which were of great utility. In the capacity of 
profellbr he wrote feveral academical thefes upon curious 
and uncommon fubjedls, which were publilhed collec¬ 
tively. His fondnefs for literary antiquity was exem¬ 
plified on a vifit he made to a brother redding in the moun¬ 
tainous part of Lorraine. He amufed himielf with Itudy- 
ing the dialed! of the natives, and publilhed the refult in 
an “ Eflai fur le'Patois Lorraine des Environs du Comte 
du Ban de la Roche,” 1775- In the following year the 
magiftracy of Stralburg indulged his propenfity for tra¬ 
velling, by engaging him at the public expenfe in a tour 
through the fouth of France, during which he diligently 
furveyed every thing which could attradl the notice of 
an antiquary and man of letters. In 1778 he was releafed 
from the labours of the fchool, or gymnafium, by the ap¬ 
pointment to a profelforlhip-extraordinary in the univer¬ 
fity ; and, in 1782, he was placed in the chair of logic and 
metaphyfics, which he retained as long as the univerfity 
exifted in its ancient form. During thele years he pub¬ 
lilhed editions of claflical and other works, one of which 
was “ Gloflarium Germanicum Medi ZEvi, potiflimum 
Dialedli Suevicse,” from the papers of profeflor Schertz, 
with feveral diflertations on fubjedls of German antiquity. 
Stralburg having hitherto been dellitute of one of thole al¬ 
manacs which are common local publications on the con¬ 
tinent, he gave one in 1780, which comprehended the 
whole province of Alface, and afterwards compiled one 
for the department of the Lower Rhine. 
Oberlin was one of the numerous fufferers from the 
llorms of the French revolution. Having confiderably 
exerted himfelf as a public charadler in the prefervation 
of order and juftice, he incurred the difpleafure of the 
perfons in power during the reign of terror; and in 1793 
was arrefted, with many of his fellow-citizens, by two 
commiflioners of the French convention, and committed 
to prifon at Metz. Their pretended crime was a defign 
of delivering Stralburg to the enemy; and, though it was 
void of foundation, they were treated with great feverity 
and indignity. After three months of dole confinement, 
he was allowed the city for his prifon, where his known 
character caufed him to be refpedtfully noticed. He was 
4 z liberated 
